Neurologically-mediated pain or discomfort associated with a disorder, such as craniofacial pain syndromes or headache syndromes, may negatively impact the quality of life of the sufferer. In addition to the burden upon the individual, chronic neurological conditions may be a significant strain upon family members, employers, and the healthcare system.
Regarding migraine headaches, concomitant symptoms such as pain, nausea, aura, photophobia, dysesthesias, dizziness, vertigo, and dysequilibrium may represent a significant burden to the population. Epidemiological studies indicate that, in the United States, approximately 18% of women and 6% of men experience frequent migraine headaches and 2% of the general population suffer from chronic migraine headaches. Additionally, persons suffering with chronic migraine headaches or other headaches of similar severity and disability may be at a significantly greater risk for depression and attempted suicide. Thus, it is prudent for clinicians and researchers to continue searching for effective therapies and methodologies to alleviate the symptoms associated with these disorders or treat the disorders.
Standard pharmaceutical therapies for migraine headaches may generally be prescribed to prevent pain or to relieve pain. The various agents which fall under these two broad categories may exhibit a wide range of effectiveness and also incur varying degrees of side effects. From the perspective of economics, the expense of these medications may be a major source of financial burden on the consumer. Moreover, advanced interventions such as botulinum toxin injections, nerve blockades, neurosurgical alterations, and implanted electrical stimulators may significantly increase costs associated with treatment, while subjecting patients to potential changes in their anatomy and physiology, with no guarantee of complete or permanent symptomatic relief or disorder resolution. Furthermore, one of the most widely used abortive agent categories in current migraine treatment may not be appropriate for those with cardiovascular risk factors, which may pose a significant population considering the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.
There is a burgeoning field of understanding and applications within the neurosciences which seek to affect positive physiological changes in the nervous system through non-pharmaceutical and non-surgical applications. This field of ‘functional neurology’ views the human nervous system as a receptor driven system, which may be activated and stimulated in specific ways to produce adaptive, long-term changes through the process of neuroplasticity. This approach to neurorehabilitation utilizes, but not necessarily exclusively, various forms and patterns of receptor activation or deactivation to promote positive neurophysiological adaptations within the central nervous system, including the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord, which may then promote optimized physiological function of associated tissues, organs, and systems.
There would be a substantial advantage in providing a method which can achieve beneficial targeted central nervous system excitation through various stimuli via cranial nerves and concomitant brainstem integration. Particularly, there would be a substantial advantage in providing an effective non-pharmaceutical and non-surgical method having a low side-effect profile for the alleviation of neurologically-mediated pain or discomfort associated with a disorder, such as craniofacial pain syndromes or headache syndromes, or for the treatment of the disorder.